Till The Time Is Right
by gawilliams
Summary: Episode addition to the fourth season premiere.  Castle needs some help with his se;f appointed task to keep Beckett safe.


_I decided, reluctantly, to write a short piece dealing with the implications of the season premiere. It is likely non-canon, as we won't ever see such a scene on TV, but it has, in my opinion, a realistic feel to it. I hope you enjoy it. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

Four people were sitting comfortably in Castle's study in his loft. Castle, Esposito, Ryan, and Lanie. Castle had called them together to discuss something very important. He only hoped that it not get out to Kate that this meeting was taking place. A lot depended on it.

"So what's going on, Bro?" Esposito asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"Yeah, Castle, and where's Beckett?" Ryan asked.

"She's not here, and what we discuss here is not to get back to her," Castle said in as serious a tone as they'd ever heard from the author.

"What do you mean not get back to her?" Lanie demanded. "She's our friend, Castle."

The three of them saw the haggard look on Castle's face after Lanie's outburst. Evidently whatever was on Castle's mind was very draining. They nodded to each other.

"Tell us," Esposito said, his own tone a bit calmer.

Castle let them in on the phone call that he'd received about the files that were protecting Beckett, and what the man had told him. He also let them know about what his own plan was regarding the whole case. He also let them know what he was sacrificing by doing so.

"You think she remembers?" Ryan asked. He recalled the pleading tone in Castle's voice as he begged Beckett not to leave him and that he loved her.

Castle nodded. "She remembers," he told them. He sighed. "She didn't come right out and say it, but I can read Kate very well, and when I was talking with her after the book signing, her tells were all on display."

"She deserves to know, Castle," Lanie told him. She and the guys had known for a long time how Castle felt about Kate, but Lanie was beginning to truly understand the full depth of those feelings. In some ways it scared her, but she knew that Castle would never do anything to hurt Kate.

"Maybe so, but if she knew about any of this, she'd never get back to what makes her Kate," Castle told her somberly. "She's not dealing with all of this. At least not well enough to handle this." He got up and tapped the screen to the side of his desk. Kate's picture and the information on her Mother's murder and the whole case to date popped up. Castle's high tech murder board was impressive.

"Madre de Deos," Esposito said under his breath. His eyes skimmed over the point plots and mentally figured that Castle had been doing some serious investigating on his own.

Ryan stepped forward and did his own mental follow through on the information. Something caught his eye. "This guy's dead, Castle," he pointed out.

"I don't think so," Castle said quietly.

Esposito shook his head. "Ryan's right. I saw the autopsy reports," he backed up his partner.

"Let's forget this for right now," Lanie said firmly, and looked at Castle who shut down the board. "You can't keep this up, Castle. Pretty soon you'll be as bad as Kate was. You won't be any good for her if that happens."

"That's why I'm back in the picture at the Precinct," he told them. "I know it's asking a lot, but I need you guys to keep me grounded, and I need to make sure that Kate stays away from this for the time being."

"You do realize that our new Captain's pretty pissed about getting stuck with you," Esposito remarked. "What's going to happen if she tries to ship you out again?"

Castle gave a half amused chuckle. "She has no idea what kind of nightmare I would create for her from above," he told them, a deadly glint in his eyes showing the lie in the amusement.

The other three could only imagine the kind of high echelon contacts that owed Castle favors. If Castle said he would make the Captain's life miserable, he was likely not kidding.

"So how long are we keeping this secret?" Lanie asked. She was still not comfortable with keeping this from Kate.

"Till the time is right," Castle intoned, sounding like some character in a novel or movie.

"Kevin?" Esposito said to Ryan. "I need to talk with Castle for a minute alone."

Ryan raised a brow, but nodded. He and Lanie left the room and began getting their jacket's.

Esposito moved close to Castle and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You know we got your back on this, Bro," he said quietly. "But I need your word, Castle. Your word. If you find anything, you won't do anything about it on your own. Beckett's family. She lost her Mom, and she lost Montgomery, no matter the background. If she lost you, I don't think anything could bring her back from where she's gotten herself in her mind."

Castle looked at Esposito squarely. He could see the seriousness in the man's eyes, and also the set of the man's jaw. It was what one would expect from family. "You have my word," he said gravely. "It's my fault all of this snowballed the last couple of years. I won't be responsible for her losing everything."

Esposito seriously considered arguing that bit about it being his fault, but decided to let it go. He could deal with that later. For now, Castle needed to know that he had his friends behind him all the way.

"You going to be okay, Castle?" he asked.

"I'll be fine," Castle shrugged. "I just need to talk with Alexis and try to get her to understand why I have to do this."

"You need anything, Bro, just pick up the phone," Esposito said as he nodded in understanding. "You're not just our friend, your our partner."

"Thanks, Esposito," Castle said as he ushered them all out. He got a man hug from Esposito and Ryan, and a deep bear hug from Lanie.

"You look out for our girl," Lanie ordered sternly.

"I will," Castle promised. "Thanks, Guys."

He went back to his study and sat down, leaning forward with his face in his hands. The emotional drain of all of this was catching up with him. Falling asleep, he did so hoping that the right time would be soon. He didn't know how much he could actually take in the course of fulfilling his self-imposed mission.

_A/N: Simply an added scene set during the season premiere towards the end of the episode. I hope you enjoyed this one. Gregg._

_A/N2: I will be posting the final chapter of Christmas Comes Early This Year tomorrow. Gregg._


End file.
